Dango continuation
by Airily
Summary: At first, Anko had only one thing in common with Itachi and Kisame; their preference for dango.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

_**A/N: **_Title says it all, this was the idea I had for continuing 'Dango' in Food For Thought. Reading it beforehand is unnecessary, of course I would like you read it. Didn't put this there since this is more Anko-centric and she's not part of Akatsuki.

* * *

**Dango continuation**

At first, Anko had only one thing in common with Itachi and Kisame; their preference for dango.

* * *

0OoO0

Today was going to be 'one of those days'; the ones that left you wondering why you left the safe, snuggle confides of the bed. She patted down the pristine, little apron to find the required notepad and pen in the front pocket and grudgingly made her way to her first customer. Of course, for undercover purposes, she'd have to be as cheery as sanely possible.

She did have to endure a whole lot of alterations and serve irritable customers. Her subtly dyed hair was brushed and tied back into a plain tail, while her face was expertly painted to look like someone else. Even her mannerisms had to be cleverly modified. She sighed; the back straps of the bra were a little uncomfortable and weren't helping, she'd have to buy a different brand.

That's right; Anko Mitarashi was wearing a bra...and being a waitress. Or was that being a waitress who had to wear a bra? Actually, where is the nearest cliff?

...

Someone snapped their fingers; another customer. Anko breathed in, breathed out and calmly approached their table. Ah, they were ninjas and one of them seemed a little frustrated, she smiled, "Valued customer, what would you like?" The larger man looked up abruptly, hopefully not because he noticed she was a ninja too. Anko had to admit though, without a close inspection, she wouldn't have realised they were ninja. Not appearance wise, you couldn't judge anyone at face value, the difficulty lay in their tightly suppressed '_danger_'. All deadly fighters had that essence, but the very skilled usually reduced it around civilians.

Though speaking of appearances...they had genjutsu, obscuring their true exterior but not quite a henge. (She would too, but a physical disguise was more effective in her case.) But so far, they were respecting common courtesy, unlike that genin or chunin over in the far corner. There was a ridiculous display of intimidation and annoying smacking of the table. Although the two ninja before her were emitting '_ordinary_', she could tell the man closest to her was almost twitching from annoyance. A brawl would brighten her day, her smile widened just a bit.

"Sushi," he grinned triangularly teeth at her, "with fresh salmon."

"Our apologies, sir, but we don't serve sushi here," Anko tapped the pen thoughtfully, imitating the gesture she found useful on another mission, "I would recommend the restaurant around the corner, next to the bakery, for sushi." 'And could you possibly beat the lights out of that pest on your way out?' See? Even her thoughts were moderately controlled; the best disguise is when you can think like your character.

Once again the large man was interrupted by the increasingly annoying ninja, this time his greedy eyes were on the plate of dango that was coming towards their table. Wordlessly, but mentally sighing from the lack of physical damage, Anko clicked her pen closed, walked over and seized the plate of dangos from the wavering waiter. She'd drug this whole establishment of cowards, except for one person, with lactose if it wasn't for the possibility of tracking it back and ruining her work. The chunin grinned smugly, finally ceasing his rant, so she deliberately caught his gaze before returning to the correct table. Clicking her pen open, she smiled at the customer, "What would you like instead?"

Waiting...waiting...a kunai flew towards her notepad but was intercepted by a thin, still sticky stick. She wasn't expecting a defence. It was thrown quickly and during a moment of inattention, so she couldn't pinpoint which customer threw it, but probably the smaller man who was chewing another dango. "Dango's fine," smirked her current customer, or perhaps it was him?

...

It was finally her break and Anko made her way to the counter to order her own dango. The cashier, a sweet girl she surprisingly got along with, greeted her merrily, "Suzuki, your dango's here, a tip from a customer. Or would you like to order more?"

"Thanks Ayane, maybe later," 'Suzuki' eyed her large plate of free dango, "Who was it?"

"Hmm, the younger guy, whose dango that the nagging ninja wanted to hog. You showed him!" Anko grinned back; perhaps she could leave the lactose to Ayane.

...

Anko sat behind the store, a place mildly quieter, to devour the delicious dango. The first stick was splendid, reminding her one of the few good points of her mission. Stacked beneath that stick of dango was another...with something carved into it? She went back, grabbed a small bottle of soy sauce and squirted across it.

_Thanks._

So it was a little odd for a ninja to express gratitude to their waitress this way, but it was the familiar handwriting, even if carved into several dangos, that catapulted her thoughts. She had read over quite a number of mission scrolls and reports written by this person, someone who used to be in Anbu, someone...someone like...

Itachi Uchiha.

"...huh."

...x...x...

When they reached a distance far from prying ears, the Mist missing-nin commented, "That was generous of you, Itachi."

His partner didn't even twitch, calmly replying, "Hn, repayment."

That perked Kisame's curiousity, but he settled for one last question, "So she was a ninja then?"

"Correct."

"Heh, not bad," He held a grin, the light showed off his shark-like teeth, but Itachi couldn't decipher the exact meaning behind that statement, so he let it be.

...o...o...

Anko Mitsurashi was officially on leave now. She had handed in that dull mission; her victims had already been caught, and applied for temporary leave. The chunins stationed at the mission room were probably overjoyed. Personally though, she would be eating dango and hunting Orochimaru, whatever came across her first.

Sighing, she rolled over on the bed to face the ceiling of a convenient motel, recalling...

"_Six sticks of dango!"_

"_Only two left, just a moment..._Uchiha_! _Itachi_ Uchiha! You're here for dango? Here, have the last two, on me."_

"_Hey! Those are mine!"_

Anko grumbled at the memory, everyone overlooked her while endlessly praising those lazy Uchihas.

"_Here."_

"_What, pitying me now, Uchiha?"_

"_Sasuke only wanted one, so here."_

She remembered hesitating, an oblivious miniature Uchiha chewing on dango and the seller grumbling in the background.

"_You're more of an 'Itachi' than an 'Uchiha'," she took the offered stick of dango, "I'll remember that."_

That was probably her first interaction with the famed Itachi Uchiha, at a dango stall.

...

Anko rolled over further, off the bed and onto her feet. Time was ticking, precious moments that could be used to hunt that slippery snake. The past had past and that plate of dango was probably nothing significant; maybe a subtle comment that he figured out her disguise and she should improve or simply thanking a waitress. Who knows and at the moment she didn't care.

Hastily putting on some discreet, combat-friendly clothes, boots and after pocketing a few weapons, she kicked the door open and nearly hit someone. Oops, but they had moved with the speed of a professional.

"Nice one," she commented lazily then closed and locked the door, doing so that her full attention remained on the other occupant. Tall figure, muscular build and had some sort of oversized sword; figures...men and their toys. But she wouldn't mind one either.

"How was the dango?"

She didn't pause, casually replying, "The nearest stall here sucks, the one near the town entrance is better." Inwardly she was trying to connect the question to anything life-forfeiting, dangerous and threatening she could handle.

"It was a large plate of dango." Anko had a match in mind, but the statement was still ambiguous enough that they could simply be waiting for her to slip.

"Look," she spun round with a hand on her hip, playing along and giving the impression of a pissed woman, the very one most men knew to fear, "Do you need something?"

"Nah," the man grinned from behind a tall collar and tipped his straw hat upwards to reveal more blue skin, "just saying hello."

She felt her lips quirk, sensing a fight, "Well you just did, but you haven't introduced yourself."

The grin widened, displaying sharp teeth, "Kisame Hoshigaki."

"The guy with Samehada?" She did a quick examination of the narrow hall; his sword usage would be limited here. Anko changed her footing into a more flexible stance while the Mist missing-nin couldn't hold it in and charged.

…

Quickly flipping and rebounding from all four surfaces of the hall, Anko went through a series of hand signs and a storm of kunai erupted towards Kisame. He casually deflected them with his sword and hand, imbedding them into the walls. She wasn't disheartened and continued carefully directing the kunai towards her target.

The ones cased aside by the sword were secondary, it was the half deflected by his hands that she was interested in. Anko continued dodging but still took a few blows, thankfully not from Samehada. When a hazardous pattern of black kunai littered the walls, Anko twisted her right hand and half the imbedded weapons returned to slice her victim. While Kisame swung Samehada, she gambled and transported within his personal space and pressed her lips against the gills under his left eye. She immediately changed places with one of the still imbedded kunai and narrowly missed having a limb separated.

Anko was being careful not to use any signature techniques, but she delighted in the battle all the same. Kisame felt the same as he replied, "Not bad."

They moved back into an offensive stance and leapt to attack again when they were interrupted, "Enough." Instantly they flicked away to opposite sides, still posed to fight.

"I was having fun, Itachi." So Anko was correct with her earlier guess.

"You were being poisoned." Smarty-pants, he knew.

Kisame exclaimed, honestly surprised, "What?"

"Miss Mitarashi would only kiss those she kills," Itachi commented and turned his red eyes onto her, "she has an accurate record." Heh, so he only caught onto part of the plan. Anko had used kunai coated with a thin layer of poison, which would take affect in a few hours. The kiss he mentioned was the constant spear of poison on her lips. After her apprentice to Orochimaru all those years ago, her body had become immune to most poisons and a few new inventions; she'd love to thank her former master.

"Tch, I prefer Anko, Itachi."

"Then Anko, would you mind sparing a dosage of the antidote?"

Kisame looked from the two ninja, one a former and the other a current Kohona-nin, wondering about the lack of killing intent.

She turned to Kisame, measuring him up before finally deciding, "I'm not a hunter-nin, so you have nothing to do with me. Do you trust me enough to let me apply the antidote?"

"...what?" The Mist missing-nin was confused; they _were_ trying to kill each other earlier.

"Tch, do you want to stay blue or not?" Anko's focus returned to Itachi, "mind turning off those? I want my kunai back." He complied and she flipped a few signs, the kunai disappeared. Meanwhile Kisame had looked over at Itachi and after seeing how casually the Sharingan user disabled his bloodline, he nodded an affirmative to Anko.

She walked over in controlled steps to demonstrate no ill intent. Kisame was a tall man, so she grabbed onto the sides of his head and pulled it down, making the ninja have to bend his back. They were at eye level but Anko pushed his head to one side to peer seriously at the gills where she poisoned him. "Okay, shut your eyes or risk losing your sight." The circular eyes hesitantly closed. _Lick_, Kisame resisted the urge to suddenly open his eyes in surprise, _dab_, done.

"Done, you can open your eyes now." He did and saw a mischievous grin. "Salty."

oO0Oo

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_**A/N: **_In my failed attempt to continue something else I wrote, I came up with this.

So what do you think, should I continue or leave it like this? Setting it as complete for the time being. If I was to carry on, thought maybe Itachi/Anko pairing or even an unusual triangle...

.

Thanks for reading!

Airily


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

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_**A/N: **_Very little to no inspiration, thus the dreadful delay. Had written this part before the lack of ideas period but kept it since I was indecisive with a few plot devices. Now, well, might as well post then wait and see what happens next.

* * *

**Dango continuation - part two  
**

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0OoO0

"Okay, so why exactly aren't we killing each other?" They sat together at a table near the better dango stall under some sort of distortion or privacy jutsu Itachi cast.

Anko shrugged, "I don't know."

"No gain," Itachi intoned.

"So…there's a gain in keeping her alive?"

"Hey! You could've been dead right now," she grumbled, but just quietly to her companions.

"But I'm not," Kisame flashed his teeth at her smugly, "I could've still killed you before dying, besides Itachi would've finished you off."

"Well, not 'would've' since I'm still here," Anko rolled her eyes and bit into another dango. Itachi remained content to keep his silence and continued eating. After swallowing, she inquired hopefully, "Say, now that Orochimaru isn't part of your little group, you're not buddies with him are you?" Her grin turned feral at Kisame's shrug, "You wouldn't happen to know anything current about him, would you? Like his location?"

"You still can't defeat him."

She scowled at Itachi's bluntness, "So long as I can kill him."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Kisame asked.

They simultaneously replied, "No." Anko turned to Itachi, who looked as disinterested as always. "Whatever method it takes," she elaborated.

They fell into silence until Anko placed down her share of the bill and bid them goodbye.

...x...x...

After a moment, Kisame asked, "Didn't you defeat Orochimaru before, Itachi?"

"Yes, but I didn't kill him."

"Couldn't or wouldn't?" Itachi chose not to answer that.

...n...n...

"Hmph," Anko huffed, glaring at the mission scroll. She may not be a full jonin (that was the Council's fault!) but she deserved some respect! "Kurenai's more suited to this type of work."

"You mean she'd be more successful? If anything, you're below even..." The rude ninja hesitated and stopped; his survival instincts had finally kicked in. Surprisingly, Anko wasn't the only person emitting the warning. The usually docile Academy teacher had a very distinct twitch above his left eye...and having heard a few rumours, the other man wisely slipped from the room.

"Miss Mitsurashi..."

"It's Anko, dammit."

"_Anko_..." Iruka sighed, this was harder than he thought but when all else fails, "how about some dango?"

...

'I should've known better,' Iruka mentally cried at his empty wallet. However, this was entrusted to him and it was best to cheer her up before dropping the bombshell.

"Ah, lovely, sweet dango...okay, what do you want Iruka?"

"Well, actually..." He sighed at her bluntness, but more at himself for hesitating, "Your former teacher was spotted."

There was a _snap_, she had bitten through the stick, "Where?"

He leaned closer to hide his moving lips, "Read the mission at night," he paused to let it sink in, "be careful Anko."

She nodded mutely and made Iruka wonder if perhaps this wasn't such a good idea, until she turned her head and kissed him full on. "For luck," she winked at him and teleported.

'L-lu-luck?' Even his thoughts were incoherent as the teacher blushed.

When he did recover in the comfortable setting of his own apartment, a thought occurred to him, 'Did that mean she'll be back to kill me?'

'...but at least that means she'll be back...' He didn't know whether to be relieved or disturbed at the thought.

...o...o...

Kurenai _was_ more suited for the mission, if it wasn't for the dooming possibility that Orochimaru might appear. The Council preferred to sacrifice her. Though really, she had requested any missions that were Orochimaru related and the Hokage probably had to mention the name for the Council to agree, this _was_ more of a formality appearance.

Grumbling at the dress selected by the client, Anko hoped it wasn't a pervert, though judging by the high slit... She didn't mind flirting, so long as she had the freedom to do give out some heavy damage, which wasn't the case here.

…

Two hours later and Anko elegantly flicked open her fan, hiding her face behind it and playing along as if she was shy. Truthfully, she was covering her twitching eye and snarl. Oh, how Anko wanted to _snap_ those fingers…! The molester beside her chuckled and attempted to drink some more sake, but the more of the liquid spilt on his clothes. She could smell the alcohol and unless she was the one drinking, Anko didn't like that smell; it usually came packaged with drunken perverts.

She was a _waitress_ again. No matter how high-class, Anko hated tourism and hospitality disguises. She may have tea ceremony as a hobby, but not this! At least this time she was substituting for another Kohona-nin, so when she retrieved the information, she wouldn't have to stay any longer to limit suspicion. So, where was that possibility of that _bastard_ showing up?

Just as she finished that thought, the screen door slid open. The new arrival had a tall, lean figure and with long black hair. His skin was pale and the face belonged to someone who was used to power, reinforced by the two bodyguards with him; one strongly built and the other slim but agile. As they approached nearer, she caught the very faint smell of sweat that was produced through a particular stimulant on all three men. (She _did_ know her poisons and numerous drugs too, even if this was a rare drug.) Anko clenched her teeth, this better not be the reason for the rumours. This wasn't the bastard!

Anko had to concentrate on breathing normally. She flipped the fan closed, smiled at the stranger and went to welcome him into the room.

…

The disappointment was still heavy within her, even after a day's worth of travelling away from the place. Anko decided to pause at a nearby river to briefly refresh when she spotted a familiar figure. Snarling, she leapt and pounced. It proved to be a genjutsu, which Anko already knew but chose to attack anyway. The level of killing intent was pitiful in comparison with the real deal.

Finally the caster decided to drop the illusion and spoke up, "Feeling better?"

"Hardly," snapped Anko, "You'd make a better opponent."

"Of course," the ninja stepped out from behind a tree and another genjutsu, "Just wanted to grab your attention."

She growled, "You got it, now fight me!"

"Sorry, not this time," Kisame shook his head, "You've been running non-stop and on top of that, you aren't in the best state of mind. I want a good opponent out of you."

"Your genjutsu sucks!"

He chuckled, "Well, that's not my expertise." His grin became more feral, "I'm more into swordsplay."

She threw shuriken and kunai at him for the innuendo. She was high-strung after that mission.

Itachi intercepted them and tossed them back, "I'd like your assistance on a small matter."

...n...n...

Anyone, or rather any ninja, could clearly see the signs of instability from Anko. Her lips were twisted with suppressed aggression while the poison gleamed threateningly in the sunlight; there was probably a double dosage of it. Her fingers twitched, alternating between digging into her palms and twitching towards where her weapons were probably concealed. The eyes, should any male ninja's attention lift above her thinly veiled cleavage, showed the treacherous depths of her anger. These observations were only noticed and magnified from experience; most civilians didn't detect more than a slightly nervous twitch on a voluptuous woman. Ninjas also had the benefit of knowing at least a little of her infamous history, few civilians outside Kohona had any idea of her potential for destruction.

Kisame was someone who knew and though he rarely questioned Itachi's decisions, his fingers remained curled around Samehada. There was a difference between being threatened of one's potential opponent and respecting them and the situation at hand. While Kisame was confident he could defeat Anko, she wasn't someone to trifle with and could easily inflict fatal damage like on the previous occasion.

He glanced over to Itachi, where he remained seated and seemingly unaware of the raging Anko.

Finally Itachi decided to clue Anko in, "I will not start until you have calmed."

"I'll be _calm_ the moment the _bastard_ is dead and _stays_ that way," breathed the Kohona-nin.

"Stabilise yourself then. This will be mutually beneficial; you'll be getting desired information too."

...

Itachi Uchiha proved those rumours to be true; his intelligence wasn't exaggerated. Being powerful doesn't necessarily result with victory; it was what you _did_ with the power. The missing-nin knew enough about Anko to figure out a few of her buttons. With her goals, skills and personality, Anko was probably in the Intelligence and/or Torture section, which probably meant that she had at least encountered Ibiki Morino. All those who worked with that ninja seemed to develop a useful quirk or two; filtering out keywords and getting into 'serious-mode' whenever the word 'information' popped up. Itachi used that to his advantage.

...

"A ninja will be travelling this way in an hour. I want your analysis on him. Feel free to report about him to Kohona too, as long as you exclude our presences of course."

"Of course," Anko returned, noticeably much calmer than before. She was all business now.

…o…o…

True to Itachi's word, a ninja soon emerged, speeding through the forest. Itachi had cast an illusion to change Kisame's appearance, making use of his height and muscle while changing the distinct features. Kisame was now a ninja clothed and wrapped in black, a powerful ninja but not obviously matching anyone in the Binjo Book. The swordsman would be waiting out in the open to greet this mystery man, but _without_ his infamous sword. Anko was surprised at the easy agreement, she knew of the possessiveness most ninja's had towards their specialised weapons and had she been in Kisame's position, she would have put up a loud protest at _least_. Itachi seemed to command his partner's respect. Grudgingly admitting in her mind, she knew that she had a bit of respect for him too.

The mystery man arrived at their spot with a clear smirk in place. The forest was dense, so this ninja was not only fast but also quite agile with quick reflexes. Anko wasn't particularly worried about Kisame losing if the confrontation progressed to a battle, even without his sword. He was from Mist and Itachi had picked a semi clearing near a running river, an advantage already, though she doubt Kisame and Itachi would want to reveal too much. She had fought with Kisame twice, he _is_ a skilled ninja.

Itachi had chosen a discrete position to observe the proceedings, while Anko was pretty much free to watch from wherever she pleased. She chose to stay in the open and didn't bother with any disguises. Itachi didn't seem to think it would affect anything, so she chose not to. She _liked_ how she looked and it was usually hilarious watching other people's reaction to seeing her, whether it was due to her infamous connection with the bastard or simply ogling or despising her chest, depending on their preference.

…

"Where's my money?" The stranger openly leered at Anko, "Though I'll be willing to give you a discount if you give me _her_." He was close to Kisame's impressive height and build, but looking at them together, he was narrower with a greater proportion of leg length. From her experiences, Anko thought that the ninja should've made more use of his body's natural tendency for speed than try to bulk up.

"No deal. Information first," Kisame's new voice was low and raspy but he spoke with it convincingly. Her face remained impassive, though inside Anko was relieved she wouldn't have to play the part of a bimbo.

The other ninja cocked his head arrogantly, "Same time then." Something about that action itched in her mind, but she couldn't pinpoint it yet.

Kisame nodded. Both men threw a scroll at the other; they each easily caught the thrown object. "Is it all in here?"

"I don't know…is the money? Seems like I might need your blood to activate it," he sneered. The way those eyes narrowed and the twist of the mouth…

The overconfident ninja behaved like the two bodyguards back at the inn. Now that Anko noticed _that_…his appearance was like a blend of the bodyguards' physique.

…

Anko stepped forward while controlling her breathing to remain calm while doing a mental check on her inventory and current status. She took another step and another until she stood beside the disguised Kisame. She concentrated on the surrounding smells. There was that drug-sweat again.

Kisame didn't bother hiding his curiousity at her actions but he also made no gesture to stop her. The other ninja, on the other hand, chose to speak up, "Look here Missy, this is a fight between men. So be an angel and step aside."

'_Trying to be a gentleman now? After your behaviour back at the inn? I've had my laugh.' _

"Tch, Angel Anko's away on business," she balanced her weight on both feet and half-wondered if he knew about her. "Feel free to die and talk to her."

'_Now I want revenge.'_

The man narrowed his eyes at her. She didn't know if it was due to the mention of her name or a woman entering a 'man's fight'.

"Getting a _woman_ to do your job? I thought better of you." He had the gall to raise an eyebrow in a superior manner, but Anko didn't mind that or the fact that he was blatantly staring at her chest. She had an objective now and wouldn't mind working his overconfidence to her favour.

Kisame replied nonchalantly and shrugged, "If she wants to then less work for me."

The pervert's eyes suddenly widened, "_Wait_, I recognise those bre-"

Anko punched him, a satisfying right-hook that came from under the jaw and _might_ have made him bite his tongue. She continued avenging herself, though did remember to keep him alive for later questioning.

...

"Satisfactory," Itachi intoned.

"Heh, you're definitely no angel," Kisame spoke up, gesturing to the lump of twitching flesh, perhaps even to lighten her mood.

"Maybe that's 'cause I don't have anything good left in me," she turned her head away and they could barely hear the next part, "it's the price I paid to stay alive and eventually kill _Him_."

oO0Oo

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_**A/N: **_Thank you for reading and sorry for the long wait. Any ideas/comments at all will greatly help continue this.

Airily


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

_**A/N: **_Running out of inspiration :/ Help needed, even small pokes in _any _direction will be very much appreciated.

But I should point out that without your support, this chapter wouldn't have even been completed. So thank you very much!

* * *

**Dango continuation - part three  
**

* * *

0OoO0

...

It seemed that the overconfident ninja (who put up a boring fight) _were_ those bodyguards combined. The separation was some sort of bloodline or clone jutsu, Anko didn't think it was top priority for the moment since her drug and the missing-nins' assistance should be more than enough to restrain him. The captured man and his partner-in-crime had followed someone's suggestion to go around disguised like that. They had planned to use Orochimaru's reputation to their advantage; apparently even a vague similarity got a different reception in some places. They didn't remain disguised too regularly and had to keep up their other job in case the real Orochimaru found out and didn't like it. This was one of their drug dealings.

Kisame and Itachi belonged to a group that the bastard _had_ been a part of.

The missing-nins had found it important to locate and uncover this little charade.

The pervert and his partner were using Orochimaru's reputation as per an unknown person's _suggestion_.

Coincidence or perhaps those rumours were _purposefully_ initiated for a reason…

Anko clenched her fist. There was still nothing concrete and the men wouldn't share further information. However, they didn't object to working together to find the other partner. Anko decided that she would hand in both of them alive. Ibiki Morino might be able to retrieve more clues since Itachi seemed uninterested in questioning the ninja further.

...

Itachi and Kisame stayed with the unconscious prisoner, all under an illusion, while Anko went to retrieve information. From what the man had let slip, his partner had an ability to detect and recognise a person's chakra. The best course of action would be for the powerful missing-nins to remain outside of the partner's range. Itachi had provided an educated assumption of that range of detection, which Anko personally thought was too conservative, but didn't disagree.

Her immediate task was to observe the agreed meeting place their captured ninja and his partner had agreed on. Anko would gather as much information and possibly pinpoint the culprit, but the main goal was just information. Maybe, knowing Ibiki, he could link up the bits and pieces and provide her with useful information.

Even though this unknown ninja could detect and recognise chakra, that didn't mean that Anko had to give away her real appearance just yet. Unlike with the captured missing-nin, she didn't want to reveal her identity when it could compromise future missions. He hadn't met her before and first impressions were important. _Except_...and Anko was only agreeing with this because of the possible link to a particular bastard, Itachi had suggested that she dress up as a civilian female. With the outfit that he had organised for her, the woman felt that she was only a notepad and pen short of being a waitress. _Waitress_. Maybe she was overgeneralising and most feminine clothing just happened to remind her of waitresses...it still left Anko silently questioning the silent ninja's hobbies. She didn't think that the Sharingan copied chakra-unrelated things and the whole outfit, bra included, fitted her extremely well. Maybe Itachi wasn't as much of a rock as people thought... Her previous frustration dissolved when she broke out in devious chuckles, which she quickly changed to high-pitched giggles when she noticed a couple walk pass.

Anko coughed to clear her throat and interrupt the giggling. She didn't want to be portrayed as _too_ artificial, there was no way she would be able to manage that facade without eventually choking herself. To establish some 'normalcy' and pass time, Anko, now dubbed as 'Mimi', went shopping. She had to restrain herself from buying too many dango sticks, or food in general, and reluctantly entered a nearby clothing store.

Pushing the door open and her first thought was, 'I didn't know that he was gay.' However, seeing as how her instincts hadn't kicked in and told her to kill and torture, the male in the centre of the very pink store _couldn't_ be the bastard...or her instincts could've been dampened by the blinding colour and sheer shock.

The stranger who physically looked like Orochimaru, glanced up and definitely noticed 'Mimi' and her expression. Anko told herself that this was a mission, didn't hesitate and walked right up to him.

"Your hair is _gorgeous!_" Mimi gushed.

...

Mentally still grumbling about the lack of broken fingers, since the man only had ten for her to break, Anko dumped a gagged, bound and unconscious missing-nin in front of the Akatsuki pair.

"Accomplice but he didn't have the mentioned special skills, just someone who was taking credit of another's work. Seems like there's hidden party."

"Wouldn't abducting him raise suspicion then...?" Kisame, obviously aware of Anko's twitching, ventured carefully.

"Both were perverts and idiots, didn't take much to defeat them; it could simply be a drug-deal gone wrong and possible death by raging women for the other. I had witnesses, who also helped," Anko smirked gleefully as her twitching reduced, "'Mimi' was dragging him back to her parents for proper punishment. If anyone asks, that's both of you. I did send a message ahead."

"I received it," Itachi nodded, "High probability that our identities are still intact."

Mood significantly improved, she grinned, "Want to dissect his mind now?"

"No, this will be sufficient for now."

"Hey, can you teach me that jutsu you used on that other guy?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"You don't have the required chakra control."

"Then train me!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Ask someone else."

"That's not an answer! Come on, give me some tips and tricks. I'll practice and you could test me next time."

"There may not be a next time."

"But not guaranteed that there won't be..."

"No."

"_Itachi_..."

The Mist-nin thought aloud, "I'm not cut out to be a parent."

...qqq...

Ibiki Morino often worked between the late and early hours when few voluntarily would. He found that the most 'natural' method (no drugs) of keeping awake and alert was remembering that Anko Mitarashi could drop by unexpectedly. She did, with the usual accompanying, "Arriving!" One of his paper-pushers immediately straightened his back. The Head of Torture and Interrogation forced back a smirk. The ninja was obviously still fresh to the scene that Anko had such an effect on him. Better than caffeine, she was.

He turned to face her with his usual impassive face, "Report."

"Two unconscious missing-nin!" She threw a sealed scroll at him, "That's the preliminary, now, let's find out what else they know..." Her prisoners weren't awake to witness her facial expression, but there were others and Ibiki could hear the furious scribbling to prove it. He really did like Anko sometimes.

...

Other times, he didn't. This was one of those times.

"Arriving!" The woman burst through the window, which was fine, the cost would just come out of her salary. Theatrics he could live with too, but she had to ruin his perfect moment of suspense. Oh well, no matter, the whiny kids would be going through Anko's version of intimidation later anyway.

The woman had wanted fresh victims and so had volunteered for the proctor position. Between the council's hatred for her, the Hokage's allowances and Anko's natural tendency to scare even the bravest of ninja...she was only offered the position of proctors for the second exam. It was the one with the least proctor-genin interaction after all.

...qqq...

Iruka Umino had argued and lost against the famous Kakashi Hatake to withdraw his previous students from the Exam. He wondered if the man knew what they might experience, not everyone could be like the silver-haired prodigy and whether the jounin realised just who the proctors were...

No, the main reason for his unease lay more in the other competitors. He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping to somehow distract himself from the prickling feeling racing down his spine. The Hokage glanced his way but didn't comment on his behaviour. They both understood Iruka's restlessness. The chunin scratched his scar when the discomfort was minor but he had picked up the neck-rubbing from other ninja. Naruto was dear to both men; they hoped that their instincts were wrong this time.

It was effectively shattered when they heard of the _possibility_ of the traitor.

Iruka stubbornly hung onto the shards of hope that Naruto would survive.

...qqq...

She was called, she came and it was like a dream and nightmare come true. _Orochimaru_. They were right to inform her; the ex-apprentice recognised that technique instantly. Anko did want to face and kill him but...not at the cost of others' lives. She wasn't like _him_.

Then she saw the IDs of the victims. _Fuck_. That _BASTARD_! Not only had she been unaware of him but she still hadn't realised his presence _after_ he used his _tongue_ to return her kunai. Anko immediately sent a message to the Hokage and requested ANBU squads to enter the Forest of Death. They would, ideally, track and stop the traitor from killing anyone. Her target, however, would be his death.

She'd curse herself and the bastard later, her immediate priority was more important.

...

Anko found him embedded in a tree and was instantly pulling him out with Hidden Snake Hands, something he had taught her. They fought and while her reflexes were good enough to dodge some of his attacks, she knew she couldn't win and had already planned to use a murder-suicide technique.

But, slippery as ever, he out-maneuvered her. Escaped her, mocked her and threatened the whole of Konoha if she interfered with the Exam.

The cursed seal had reactivated and was giving her excruciating pain. However it wasn't all physical, she was guilty of still feeling hurt from his words. The Sannin had been her teacher, someone she had trusted, and he had thrown her away. Anko _hated_ him.

...

The Hokage tried to reassure her that it wasn't her fault that he got away. She didn't believe him. She'd curse the Council, terrify other ninja and binge on dango...anything to keep from feeling useless and unwanted. She didn't know that the old man would always smile sadly when she wasn't looking and she didn't know that it was because she was similar to another outcast. Try as he might, the Hokage couldn't protect everyone.

The next time Orochimaru made an appearance, Anko Mitarashi wasn't at the front line. Instead, she placed her efforts into helping others escape the destruction. Revenge was one thing but she would never become him.

...

The Hokage died.

Anko lost someone who believed and supported her.

Orochimaru _will_ pay.

...

She sat on the carved version of the late Hokage's head.

"You shouldn't be here," Anko whispered hollowly.

"Perhaps," returned a familiar voice, just as quietly. Itachi approached her side and dropped a thin scroll in her lap.

She glanced up at the missing-nin, "What about..."

"Clone."

Anko nodded absentmindedly and after detecting nothing malicious, unsealed the scroll. Inside was a simple cluster of white chrysanthemums, symbolic for grief, and a wrapped up stick of dango.

"Thank you," she glanced up but he was already gone.

The woman smiled faintly and got up to place the flowers on Hiruzen Sarutobi's grave.

...xxx...

oO0Oo

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Selective information here, mainly to show more of Anko's motivation to hunt and kill Orochimaru. Before she had already wanted him dead, but the Third Hokage's death will be the catalyst that drives her further. It's also another factor that Anko and Itachi have in common.

Thank you for reading, though I'm sorry to say that until there's more concrete ideas, I'm not sure about the next update. Once again, I'm going to be cautious and leave this as complete but there may be more.

Airily


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